Which guns for a given caliber are quieter to shoot?

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Tytalus

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So, obviously, bigger caliber rounds have a bigger bang. That said, I've had my neighbour tell me that Savage Axis shoots .308's like a much heavier magnum round. So it got me thinking, are some guns known for shooting quieter then others? I'm thinking more on the shooting a .30-06, .308 or .303 , to give some context.

This isn't a huge deal for me, I'll be wearing hearing protection at the range and in the field, but I don't think I've seen the issue of sound being brought up before. Any thoughts??

Edit: I'm talking about the actual brand & model of the gun, not the caliber.
 
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Tytalus said:
So, obviously, bigger caliber rounds have a bigger bang. That said, I've had my neighbour tell me that Savage Axis shoots .308's like a much heavier magnum round. So it got me thinking, are some guns known for shooting quieter then others? I'm thinking more on the shooting a .30-06, .308 or .303 , to give some context.

This isn't a huge deal for me, I'll be wearing hearing protection at the range and in the field, but I don't think I've seen the issue of sound being brought up before. Any thoughts??
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There are variables at play here, size of powder charge, barrel length, distance away, etc, etc, etc. The 30/06, 308, 303 are going to sound very much alike all things being equal.
 
StoneHorse said:
There are variables at play here, size of powder charge, barrel length, distance away, etc, etc, etc. The 30/06, 308, 303 are going to sound very much alike all things being equal.
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What would barrel length do to the sound? I also edited my above post, I'm curious which brand & models are quieter than others.
 
Tytalus said:
What would barrel length do to the sound? I also edited my above post, I'm curious which brand & models are quieter than others.
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The longer the bullet has been pushed in the barrel, the less energy is left in the exhaust, the powder will be burned fully and the bullet will be faster.

Compare to a shorty barrel, where the powder is still burning (and expanding) after the bullet has left...
 
Low velocity(sub sonic) rounds of similar caliber will generally sound quieter as you do not get a sonic boom coupled with your propellant charge sounds. A rifle with a muzzle brake will usually sound much louder as the gasses are distributed back towards you or to the side (as opposed to forwards) after you shoot . There is not much that will make one rifle louder or quieter than another if all things are equal ie. same barrel length, porting,cartridge/load etc. if you shoot a cb short (subsonic) and a hyper velocity .22 out of the same gun the CB short will seem like you are using a suppressor compared to the high velocity .22
 
Barrel length plays a big roll in how much noise the gun makes. I can use my 18.5" barrel 10/22 all day long without ear protection. Bring on a .22 handgun with a 5" barrel and its louder than a .22 magnum and then I have to wear hearing protection. Plus, with a shorter barrel length, the noise starts closer to you rather than further away from you. With shotguns 26" barrels or longer, I never use hearing protection for them because the noise starts way further way from you.

Well I'm hunting, I don't use hearing protection. How cares about 1 shot that's going to make your ears ring. It won't even be bad either since its outside.
 
The brands that come with a supressor are quieter. Everything else is stinkin' loud (assuming supersonic centrefire cartridges). It's much of a muchness. Your Ruger won't be quieter than my Winchester.
 
Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
Barrel length plays a big roll in how much noise the gun makes. I can use my 18.5" barrel 10/22 all day long without ear protection. Bring on a .22 handgun with a 5" barrel and its louder than a .22 magnum and then I have to wear hearing protection. Plus, with a shorter barrel length, the noise starts closer to you rather than further away from you. With shotguns 26" barrels or longer, I never use hearing protection for them because the noise starts way further way from you.

Well I'm hunting, I don't use hearing protection. How cares about 1 shot that's going to make your ears ring. It won't even be bad either since its outside.
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Then you need to understand that, if your ears are ringing, it's because you have done permanent damage to your hearing. Maybe not a lot, but it's all cumulative, and it's all permanent. If your ears ring (from a gun shot or a rock concert) you have done yourself permanent harm. No escaping it. As you get older, and the cumulative effect becomes obvious, you will understand "How cares". Even if you don't care about your own hearing, care about those around you, especially any kids.

There are lots of reasons to hunt without hearing protection that are quite legitimate, and I don't wear hearing protection when hunting either. But you should never underestimate the consequences to your hearing. That's the main reason I won't hunt with anyone who is using a gun he can't handle without a muzzle brake. Anyone who has been beside someone at the range or while hunting who fired a shot with his braked magnum will understand that brakes significantly increase the danger to everyone's hearing.

To the OP, generally, the bigger the case, the louder the round; the shorter the barrel, the louder the sound from any given round. But ALL shooting damages your unprotected hearing. Model of gun makes almost no difference.
 
The decibels of noise from a firearm are directly relative to the remaining pressure behind the bullet upon exiting the muzzle. High intensity cartridges, loaded to max pressure, will be louder in a shorter barrel than in a longer one. This is really about all there is to it, unless you modify the firearm with muzzle brakes or Magnaporting, even these do not increase the intensity of the released gas noise, they merely redirect it causing greater perceived noise. It has absolutely nothing to do with make or model of rifle, in the big picture. Having said this the old Rem mod 600 and it's variants had a reputation of being an earschplittinloudenboomer, but this was only because the standard of the day was 22-26" barrels and it was the first true 18 1/2" carbine to come along in years and in 350 RM and 6.5 RM it is a barking little beast.
Most handguns are at the peak of their pressure curve when the bullet exits the barrel and the perceived sound is much greater than that of a 22-28" rifle. Two factors are affecting the greater perceived noise, the intensity of the pressure curve (particularly with magnum cartridges working over 20,000 psi), and the proximity to our ears. Being 24+ inches closer subjects our hearing to a much greater portion of the pressure wave. Then we have revolvers which are the most hearing destructive of all firearms due to cylinder gap and the high intensity pressure wave which escapes here and virtually surrounds and bombards the shooter.

rral22.......I agree with all you say, so can you please type in a larger font and in bold as I can barely hear you.........LOL
 
Barrel length is the key for sure, as stated...My 788 in 308 is an eardrum wrecker, and it only likes low to medium loads. Jim. It's a carbine 18 1/2"
 
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